Four Years Later
by Scruffypalace
Summary: After Jess tells Rory he loves her they end up going to Luke's apartment and hooking up. The next morning, though, Jess left not wanting Rory to get into his messed up life. What happens when Rory wakes up alone with a little surprise and what happens when Jess comes back Four years later?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys, I recently started watching, or should I say binge watching, Gilmore girls with my mom and my sister, but I'm only on season four so if I mess up something or another, please just ignore it. Thanks, I hope you enjoy.  
_**_

 **FLASHBACK**

" _You know I have actually thought about this moment, a lot. What would Jess say to me if he ever saw me again? I mean he just took off, no note, no call, nothing. How could he explain that? And then a year goes by, no word nothing so he couldn't possibly have a good excuse for that right? I have imagined hundreds of different scenarios with a hundred different great last parting lines, and I have to tell you that I am actually very curious to see which way this is going to go?" Rory said to jess after they finished running around the park like idiots._

" _Can we sit down?" an out of breath Jess asked Rory._

" _No. You wanted to talk, so talk. What do you have to say to me?" she responded back to him._

 _He took a deep breath and slowly said "I love you", then turned around, and walked away._

 _Rory watched him walk away before she realized something and ran after him._

" _Wait, Jess, Wait" she yelled as she ran as quickly as she could to catch up to him._

 _He turned around to her and asked "What?"_

 _She quickly blurted out "I realized something and I needed to tell it to you before you go"._

" _Well" he said after a moment of silence "What is it?"_

 _Instead of answering him with words, she kissed him passionately._

 _After a few long moments stuck in no one's world but theirs, they pulled away from each other._

" _I love you too" Rory said to him as she stared lovingly into his eyes._

 _Jess smiled and asked "really?"_

 _Rory nodded her head and they kissed again._

 _They ran all the way to Luke's and went up to his apartment. They started making out then went over to the couch. As Jess started to pull up Rory's shirt he stopped kissing her and asked "Are you sure you wanna do this?"_

 _Rory slammed her lips on his and he took that as a yes._


	2. Chapter 2

A cool breeze blew through the small town of Stars Hollow in mid spring, bringing a calming effect to all that were all staying there. Including one Lorelai Gilmore. She walked through the town, holding the hand of a small boy with curly brunet hair and adorable brown eyes. They walked through the beautiful white gazebo and made their way to Luke's diner. They walked through the door, and the boy immediately tore his hand away, running over to the diner's owner.

"Daddy" the boy yelled, delighted as his dad picked him up and held him over his head. He then rested the small boy on his shoulders and walked over to his fiancé.

"Hey" he said sweetly as he leaned over to kiss her.

"Hi" she said as she walked over to the counter and sat down. Luke walked over to the coffee machine and grabbed a cup down from the cabinet, setting it in from of Lorelai.

"Have you spoken to Rory today?" Luke asked as he filled her cup and grabbed her a couple of donuts.

"Yeah, her graduation is next weekend so their coming this weekend" she responded, taking a sip of her coffee.

"And how's our granddaughter doing?" he asked, taking the small boy off his shoulders and setting him on the counter.

"She seems to be getting over her terrible twos, Rory said she hasn't drawn on the walls in two weeks" Lorelai said.

"That's good, gosh that kid is her father through and through" Luke said, shaking his head and taking orders from some young couple.

"Speaking of, have you heard from him?" Lorelai asked him.

"Not in the last few weeks, he said he was going to lock himself in his apartment and write his new books until he is officially considered a recluse" Luke responded.

"Wow that must take some commitment, I couldn't sit at home for an hour without doing something"

"More like a minute" Luke muttered to his son, making him giggle.

"Yeah yeah, like he's mister yoga and relaxation" she muttered to the boy, making him almost fall out of his seat in laughter.

"Lori, you better start getting dressed before I catch you" Rory said in a joking voice as she chased her three year old daughter around the hallway of their small apartment.

The girl giggled, not giving into the threats her mom was throwing at her. Instead she climbed onto the couch and started jumping on it. Rory ran over to the couch and picked her up, carrying her to their room and gently putting her down on top of their bed. She then went over to the cabinet and pulled out some clothing from the bottom drawer.

"Alright you get dressed, I'm gonna put on my makeup" She said, throwing her daughters clothing next to her and walking into the bathroom.

"Mommy, when are we gonna see Grandma?" she asked sweetly.

"Two days honey, then were gonna take a long drive to Stars Hollow and we're gonna see Grandma, and Grandpa, and Uncle Jonas, you excited?" she asked while putting on her lipstick.

"I don't wanna see Uncle Jonas" she responded pouting.

Rory walked out of the bathroom with a confused look on her face.

"Why don't you wanna see Jonas?" She asked finding her daughters favorite Spiderman jacket and throwing it on the bed.

"Because" she said sadly "He said girls can't like superhero's, he said only boys can like them".

"You can like superheroes if you want to, okay" Rory said, picking her up and going toward the door.

"Mommy, can I ask you a question?" she asked as they walked to the elevator.

"Sure sweetie"

"Did daddy like superheroes?" she asked innocently.

Rory looked down at her daughter, shocked that she would say something about her dad, having never mentioned it before.

"No" she said after the shock wore off "He was more of a book person like me".

"Mr. Mariano, it's good to see you" Mr. Charleston, Jess's book publisher said as he walked into her office.

"Good to see you to Mr. Charleston" Jess said politely.

"Call me Jeromy, gosh Jess, we've know each other long enough for you to call me that" he said standing up and holding his hand out to shake Jess's.

"Jeromy? You must be in a good mood"

"What do I have to be in a good mood to have you call me by my first name?" he asked, faking hurt.

"Yes" he said honestly.

"Well, I guess you're right, because I'm in a great mood. Guess what's got me so happy?" he asked.

"What?"

"Oh come on Jess, guess"

"No" Jess said annoyed.

"Fine fine, but you're gonna freak when I tell you" he said excitedly.

"Tell me" he said, almost yelling.

"I got your book tour approved" he said smiling like an idiot.

"Really" Jess asked shocked.

"Really, but you have to pack tonight"

"Why tonight, usually I would get some sort of notice before I have to leave"

"Well someone's book tour was canceled so I volunteered you to take her place and it starts tomorrow"

"Oh so I'm a backup gig, is that it?" Jess asked getting annoyed.

"Yes, but it's a great opportunity anyway"

"Fine" Jess said after a few moments of silence "I'll do it".

"Great, tomorrow were gonna get on a plane to Stars Hollow"

"Wait a minute" yes asked "Stars Hollow?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on, come on, were going to be late," Luke yelled toward the house from inside Lorelei's Jeep. A few moments later Lorelei walked out holding a squirming Jonas.

"Are you forgetting we have a three year old who has no concept of time," she asked him while loading Jonas into his car seat.

"Well I'm just excited you know, Rory is coming home for the first time in two months and it was Lori's first flight so I wanted to make sure everything went okay," he said, getting a little antsy.

"Okay, we're good, let's go," she said getting into the driver's seat and driving away.

"Hurry Lori, we have to get to grandma and grandpa," Rory said happily to the girl beside her as they ran, hand in hand, through the crowded airport.

"I see them," Lori shouts as she pointed to some people in the crowd and ran off toward them.

"Lori, wait," Rory yelled, running after her as fast as she could with four bags in her hands. Soon Lori was lost in a crowd of people and Rory started to get really worried so she yelled "LORI".

She was about to scream again when she heard a laughter that could only have belonged to her daughter behind her. She turned around to see Luke lifting Lori high up in the air and then resting her on his side. She breathed a sigh of relief as she walked toward them.

"Rory," she heard her mom say as she finally reached them. It wasn't a mere second before she was engulfed into a big family hug.

"I'm so happy you guys are home, how are you, now knowing that in just one week, you Rory Gilmore, will be a Yale graduate?," Lorelei asked.

"Great," she said as they walked to the car.

They arrived at the car a few minutes later and started putting the bags in the back while Luck dealt with the kids. Lorelei turned to Rory and started smiling at her.

When Rory noticed this she asked "What?"

"I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you," she said as she put her hand on Rory's face and pushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Well I couldn't have done any of this without you" she said gratefully as she loaded the last of Lori's bags into the car.

Rory was about to go into the car when her mom put her hand on her arm.

"I really want you to know that even though I might have been tough on you at first, I am so proud of the way you've raised that little girl, I mean not only that, but also following your dreams. I just can't believe it," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Well, I have the best mom ever I mean, if you hadn't done the same thing with me I wouldn't be doing all of this stuff. After this me and Lori are gonna move to New York and I'm going to start that paid internship at the New York Times. I mean me and Lori are finally going to have a life that doesn't conclude of all night study sessions and getting are electricity shut off every two months because I couldn't pay the bill on time, we're going to be okay and it's all because of you mom, thank you," She said as she reached out and gave her mom a long overdue hug.

 **FLASHBACK**

 _Knock…knock…knock…knock…_

" _Alright, Alright, I'm coming I'm coming," Lorelai said as she walked down the stairs at four a.m., tying her robe in the process._

 _She opened the door, shocked to see Rory standing outside, with her eyes red and puffy as if she had been crying for hours. She ran into her mom's arms and immediately started crying on her shoulder._

 _Lorelai closed the door with her foot and led Rory over to the couch. After a few moments, Rory pulled away and wiped her eyes._

" _What's wrong honey?" Lorelai asked her sweetly as she grabbed a bag of leftover marshmallows from under the coffee table and put it between them._

" _I… I made a huge mistake," she said after she relaxed and leaned to the side of the couch, eating a marshmallow._

" _What is it, I'm sure that no matter what you did, it can be fixed in some way or another," she said as she grabbed two marshmallows that were stuck together and shoved them inside of her mouth._

 _Tears started to well up in her eyes again as she said "No, I don't think I can, it's not something that's going to go away any time soon"._

" _You didn't… You didn't kill anyone did you," she asked mostly joking "Because, I can help you hide the body, and I think I can get Luke and Miss Patty in on it too and-," she started, but was cut off by Rory saying "No mom, I didn't kill anyone, but you're going to kill me when I tell you, so you better keep those contacts"._

" _Honey," Lorelei said, now completely serious "just tell me what it is and I promise I won't be mad at you"._

" _I…I'm… Preg…pregnant" she whispered, but not low enough that her mom didn't hear her._

 _Lorelei stood up and yelled "Pregnant, PREGNANT are you kidding with me please tell me your kidding with me," she pleaded._

 _Rory looked down at her lap and started sobbing hysterically "Mom, I'm so sorry, I hate disappointing you, I hate that I didn't take proper precautions, and I hate that I didn't tell you right after it happened, but it was a heat of the moment type thing"._

" _Who is he?" Lorelei asked._

" _Who?" Rory asked confused._

" _The boy, the one you slept with, who was he? It wasn't… It wasn't Dean was it?" she asked._

" _NO, no I would never do that with a married man," she defended._

" _Well who was it then, I don't remember there being a lot of guys around here in the past couple months" then a look of realization crossed Lorelei's face, making her say "Oh honey, please tell me it wasn't a drunk one night stand with someone you didn't know, please tell me you're at least smart enough not to have gotten into that situation"._

" _NO! Gosh mom you're making me sound like a slut," she said, really wishing she could curl up in a ball and cry for the rest of her life._

" _Then tell me Rory, who is the father?"_

 _Rory took a deep breath before responding, "Jess"_

 _Lorelei looked at her confused "When did you and Jess even-," then she remembered "You mean that couple days he was here getting his car, I didn't even know you spoke to him"._

" _Well I didn't plan on talking to him, and I don't think he planned on talking to me either because he kept running away every time I saw him, but then at the festival he saw me and I ran away and he chased after me and when he caught up to me he told me he loved me and things just kind of went on from there," Rory explained._

 _Rory saw a look of rage appear on her mother's face at a level she had never seen before._

" _I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch. Rory where are my golf clubs?" she asked infuriated._

" _Mom you don't have golf clubs," Rory said, trying to calm her down._

" _I'm gonna kill him, I swear I'm gonna shove his pretty little head in a wall and trying to destroy whatever little brain he might have in it"_

" _Mom, stop it, you're not going to kill him, just calm down"_

 _Her mom looked at the fear in Rory's eyes and took a deep breath. Then, calmly, she walked over to the phone and started dialing someone's number._

" _Mom, who are you calling," Rory asked, half confused half scared._

" _I might not kill him, but I know someone who will… Hi Luke, I need your help"_

 **PRESENT**

As soon as Jess walked off of the plane he went straight over to a rental car shop, got a nice black car, and drove to Stars Hollow. He decided that he would go to Luke's first since he was the only person who might take him in while he was staying there. When he arrived he wasn't surprised to see the town looked the exact same as it did five years ago when he lived here. He walked into Luke's dinner to see Seizer _**(I'm not sure if that's right, ehh)**_ in the back flipping pancakes and Lane and her band having what looks to be a band meeting.

He walked up to the counter and said "Hey Seizer, where's Luke?"

Seizer, without looking at him, said "He's upstairs with Jonas and Lori".

 _I'm pretty sure he means Lorelei_ , he thought as he made his way up the stairs and knocked on Luke's door.

A few seconds later after no response he knocked again, this time hearing a faint "Yeah". He then heard small footsteps run up to the door and turn the nob. When he saw the two kids he was shocked to see not only Jonas, who he's heard much about, but also another small girl, who resembled the one girl he hasn't spent a day not thinking about.

 _ **RORY**_.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hi," the small girl said in the most innocent voice he'd ever heard. Jess couldn't say anything as the shocked rendered him immobile. Luckily, he didn't have to as a little boy ran up behind her.

"Lori, you're not 'post to open the door. There are strangers," the boy scolded.

She looked down at the ground, ashamed, and said, "Sorry, I forgot Jonas."

Jess kneeled down to their eye level, held his hand out to the boy, and said, "Hey Jonas, my name is Jess, I'm your cousin. I have heard a lot about you." Jonas looked skeptical, but he shook the older man's hand.

"Do you know my daddy?" he asked.

"Yep, and your mommy," Jess answered.

The little girl next to Jonas looked excited when he said that. So excited, in fact, that she started jumping up and down in glee.

"Does that mean you know my mommy?" she asked.

"That depends, who is your mommy?" he asked, but he had a feeling he already knew.

"Her mommy is my big sissy Rory," Jonas answered for Lori.

Jess gulped, "That's cool," he responded, "I know your mommy then. She's an… old friend of mine."

They both smiled, happy to know that this man was no longer a stranger, and then each one of them grabbed one of his hands and pulled him into the apartment. Jess looked around the place, not surprised to see it hasn't changed that much; except for the little toy kitchen, the drawings on the fridge, and the walls filled with pictures of Luke's family, including a picture of him. Jess glanced at all the pictures of Luke with Lorelai and Jonas, and he noticed how happy Luke seemed to be in all of them. Jess was extremely happy when Luke called him and told him he was engaged to Lorelai and that he was going to be a father again. This time though, he was going to be a big part of his child's life.

He also looked at all the pictures of Rory, and gosh did she look even more beautiful with everyone. There was one of Rory holding a newborn Lori as she sat on a park bench, then there was another one with Rory holding a now one year old Lori as she helped her blow out her first birthday candles, and last there was one of Rory, with Lori standing in front of her, as they stood in front of a school building.

"JESS," Luke said loudly as he noticed his nephew/surrogate son that he hadn't seen in years.

"Hey, Luke," Jess said. Luke smiled as he engulfed the younger man, then he pulled back and took a good look at him.

"Wow, you look good. Hey, I read your new book, and I got it on a little stand over here," he said, pointing to a bookshelf that had his book sitting on top of it, like it was on display at a bookstore.

"Wow. thanks, now I know what it looks like on display," said Jess.

Luke scoffed, "I'm sure it's on display all over the country." Jonas walked up and tugged on Luke's shirt. Luke leaned down and lifted the boy up, placing him on his side and saying, "Jess, this is your cousin, Jonas."

"We met actually, that dude is really lucky," Jess said smiling.

"Why is that?" Luke asked.

"Cause he looks nothing like you. Honestly, I'm surprised all the functions are still working for you," Jess said.

Luke let out a fake laugh. "Ha ha ha, very funny".

"Grandpa?" Lori asked from the corner.

Both Luke and Jess whipped their heads towards the girl who was staring up at them curiously.

Jess was pretty sure that that was Rory's daughter, and what she said just confirmed his suspicions.

Luke set Jonas down and spoke to both of them saying, "Hey guys, why don't y'all go and get Caesar to make you a burger?" The kids squealed in delight and then raced down the stairs.

When they were finally out of earshot, Jess looked at Luke and asked, "Why didn't you tell me Rory had a daughter?"

Luke looked like a deer in the headlights as he tried to come up with something to say.

"Uh… are you sure? I probably mentioned it, but you probably don't remember."

"No, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered something like that. I mean, an ex-girlfriend of mine that is your stepdaughter, has a kid? Yeah, I would remember that."

"I don't know I just probably forgot."

"That's a pretty big thing to forget."

"I," Luke started, but was cut off with the door opening behind him. "Guys, I told you to go downstairs," Luke said before he turned around and noticed that it wasn't Lori and Jonas standing in the doorway, but Rory.

She was smiling until she noticed Jess standing behind Luke. She looked at Luke questioning and Luke responded by raising his shoulders as to say that he had no idea Jess was coming to visit.

"Hey Jess, it's been a long time," Rory said, trying to break the tension.

"Yeah," Jess responded, "How longs it been, four years?"

Rory looked nervously between the two, before her eyes landed on Luke, pushing him to help her.

Luke took a deep breath and said, "Rory, I love you like a daughter, but I also love Jess like a son, so I'm going to go and make sure my child and grandchild aren't destroying my dinner. You two have to stay up here and talk, because I have a feeling there is a lot to talk about."

Luke quickly walked out the door with two pairs of eyes following him, and when he was out of sight no one dared to move an inch. Slowly, they turned their glances back to each other, and Jess said, "I saw your kid. She's cute."

Rory looked back at him and smiled genuinely saying, "Yeah, she really is much cuter than I was at her age."

"I doubt that," Jess said, making Rory's smile grow. "Yeah, she uh, she looks like a carbon copy of you actually."

"Yeah, she may look like me, but she does not have the same interests. I mean, she is super smart, but she is not a major fan of doing school work and she would rather watch cartoons than read."

"She'll probably grow into it, since you are her mother."

"Yeah."

The awkwardness of the silence that filled the room was felt by both the adults standing in it.

Jess realized that he needed to ask, but he felt like she might leave the room or yell at him for suggesting it.

"Rory, who is her father?"

Rory's heart skipped a few beats as she heard the sentence she had been expecting since she walked in the room.

After a few moments of silence, Jess asked again.

"Rory, who is her father?"

The silence he heard seemed to answer him, but he needed her to say it. He needed to hear her tell him, so that he could know he wasn't making it all up in his head.

Rory stood there, staring down at her hands, trying to stop the tears that were about to fall down her face as she finally answered his question, "You are."


	5. Chapter 5

Jess couldn't breathe. He felt as though a knife had been shoved into his lungs, and now he was going to die from not only the lack of oxygen, but also the pain coursing through his veins. Of course, all this struggling for breath and pain made it hard to concentrate on any thoughts that were going through his mind, and trust him there were many. He couldn't even look at Rory as he backed away slowly, eventually hitting the wall. He heard her gasping for breath as well as she fought off tears, but he didn't feel the least bit sorry for her. He hated her. No, he didn't actually hate her, but he wanted to. He was so angry, shocked, and confused that he wanted to be able to punish her for what she did, but he couldn't. He couldn't because no matter what, no what she said or did, he would always love her. Maybe it wouldn't always be in the same way, but he would always have a special place in his heart for her.

"W-Why, why didn't you tell me?" Jess asked loudly. His heart was beating so hard that he felt it course throughout his entire body.

"I wanted to, I just couldn't," she said.

Jess scoffed. "Don't give me that, it only takes a few minutes to call someone and tell them, 'hey, by the way, you're a father'. I deserved to know, I can't believe that you would hide something like this from me. After all you know happened between me and my father, you know that I would have been there. I would have been there the second you told me, and you know it, so why?"

"You had just published a book. You were working at a publishing press, you had a life. You were free of the life that was given to you and you started your own. I know that you would have rushed back the moment I told you I was pregnant, so I couldn't. If you came back you would get a job here or at Walmart again, and you would hate it. And we both know, even if you don't believe it, that you would grow to resent us-"

"-No, no don't you dare turn this on me. I would have loved and taken care of both of you. Yes, I wanted to be a published author and yes, I wanted to get out of my thug no good life, but Rory don't you understand? I did that for you. I would have never become the person I did if it wasn't for you. Your love and belief in me pushed me to greatness and I believed that if I became a better man that was worthy of you, maybe you might have taken me back. So, if you think that there was ANY viable reason to keep my own _daughter_ away from me, I would love to hear it."

Rory didn't say anything after that. She just looked at him with so much regret and sorrow that he couldn't even be in the same room as her anymore. He turned and walked out without looking back. His heart pounded as he made his way down the stairs, but when he walked toward the closed diner, he could hear small voices yelling at each other as a distressed Luke tried to resolve the argument.

"I don't wanna play your dumb poker, you always win," Jonas wined.

"That's cause I'm better at it, stupid," Lori fought back.

'That's my girl' Jess thought as his heart twitched at the thought of his daughter standing in the room right in front of him, and apparently armed with his attitude. He walked into the room as Luke was talking to Jonas quietly in one corner of the room, while a sad Lori sat at a table on the other side. Luke and Jonas were too busy in their discussion to notice him, but Lori looked straight at him and gave him a big smile.

"Jess, do you want to play poker with me?" she asked as innocently as someone possibly could as she held out her cards to him. At first, he wanted to say no. He was so mad at the adults in the building, that he wanted to get out of their as soon as possible, but this was his daughter, and he was not going to let Rory or Luke come between him being with her ever again. He will take Rory to court if he has to, but he will always be a part of her life. "Of course," he said as he made his way over to the table, took the deck from Lori, and started to pass out the cards.


	6. Chapter 6

Jess played a game of poker with Lori, and believe it or not the little genius beat him. It wasn't even a close win. How she learned to play so good at her young age is beyond Jess's comprehension. He congratulated her and tried not to show the pain that coursed through his veins as he thought about the fact that he would never get the chance to teach his daughter poker. He got the chance to be a part of that and so many other memories, taken away from him. She giggled at him, making his brow shrivel up in confusion as he asked, "What?"

"You're upset because I won." She said, thinking that was the reason he had a scowl on his face.

"Well I didn't think someone so young could beat me. To be honest I was kind of holding a record of twenty-eight games won in poker, and you just stole that title from me." Jess said, overreacting to the loss as he put his hands over his heart and looked off into the distance.

Her smile grew at his reaction. "I've never lost to anyone, so I have a four-year record."

"And a good vocabulary." Jess commented as he noticed the words she used.

"Thanks, mommy said I get it from her, but I don't like to read like she does. People think that just because I'm good at it I should keep doing it, but if I despise it, why?"

"Can't answer you there kid, but I will say to stay in school. It will really help you in the future."

She rolled her eyes. "Why?"

"Cause I didn't, and it just makes things a lot harder." He answered honestly.

"Ooooorrrrr, I could become a professional poker player."

Jess laughed. "I guess you could." Jess wanted to continue talking to his daughter, he wanted to talk for hours, but when he saw Luke coming towards him his anger returned and he got up to leave. "It was nice to meet you Lori. I hope we can play poker again sometime."

"Oh yeah, you are the only person I've played who knows what they're doing."

Jess quickly made his way out of the dinner and started to walk fast down the side walk, but when he heard Luke scream over and over again, "JESS, JESS WAIT!" he turned around.

"WHAT? What could you possibly have to say to me? I'm sorry that I kept your daughter away from you for FOUR YEARS? I can't believe you of all people would keep this from me, after everything with April."

"I couldn't. It wasn't my place to tell. She asked me not to, and I respected her wishes. We all just wanted what was best for you."

Jess couldn't believe these people. "How dare you insinuate that the best thing for me, is to go on living without the knowledge that I have a daughter. I deserved to be in her life from the moment she was born, I deserved to see her first steps, to hear her first word, to feed her bottles and rock her to sleep at night, but no, you thought it would be bad for me to be in her life. What about her, did you think she didn't deserve to have a father. A father is pretty damn important, yet you decided that she would do better off without me." Luke tried to get a word in, but Jess wouldn't allow it. "No, I can't listen to your useless explanations. I can't even look at you right now." And with that Jess turned on his heels and ran away to his car.

When he got to his apartment he was so tired from all the fighting that he immediately crashed on his bed. The next morning, he woke up to the sound of his phone blasting heavy metal. He groaned as he leaned over and checked who it was. When he noticed it was his publisher, he quickly slid his finger across the screen and said in a deep, gravelly voice, "Hello."

"Jess, where the hell are you?" he asked furiously.

"What?"

"You were supposed to be at the library to sign books half an hour ago. People are leaving."

Jess's eyes widened as he looked at the time. "Crap," he muttered under his breath and he looked around for his shoes, only to figure out a few moments later that he was still wearing them.

"Yes crap. If you are not here in the next 10 minutes, I will cancel this book tour so fast and you will never see another check as long as you live.

Jess hung up the phone and ran to his car. When he got to the book signing, there was quite a bit more people there then Jess had been expecting. He sighed books and was done in a little over an hour, then he went back to his hotel. When he got there, he sat on his bed and stared at the wall, his mind so filled with everything that happened last night, he felt like he couldn't breathe. The image of his daughter was stuck in his mind, and he just wanted to drive over to Rory's house and demand to see her, but he knew he should probably be calmer about it. He doesn't believe that she deserves him to be nice and calm about it, but his daughter deserves two parents who can act like civilized adults around each other. Another problem he had been trying to figure out is his book tour. He has two months left of traveling, but he doesn't want to leave her. After all, he just met her. She has to have time to get used to him, and he has to have time to find out about her, like what her favorite food is and how the heck she got to be such a good poker player. Jess realized that he wasn't going to get anything figured out by himself, he got up and went back into his car and drove to Lorial's house, hoping they were there. When he arrived, he noticed the small red bike in the front yard that had a Spiderman helmet hanging from the handle bars. He also noticed a stone that had a tiny, blue hand print on it, that underneath said, 'Lori 18 months'. He walked up to the door, knocked loudly, and waited until someone opened the door.

The woman sighed as she moved aside and said, "Hello Jess. Why don't you come on in?"


	7. Chapter 7

Jess walked into the house he hadn't been in for almost five years, right past Lorelai and into the living room. Lorelai closed the door and walked in behind him.

"Take a seat," she said while gesturing to the couch. Jess sat down at the edge and stared at his hands as they shook, his body still in shock from the news. "Do you want some coffee?" she asked him, to which he responded with a nod. She walked away for a minute, and when she came back she was holding two large cups filled with steaming hot coffee. She sat on the other edge of the couch, put her coffee on the coffee table, and stared at her hands as well. After they both sat in silence for a few moments, Lorelai felt like she should say something. "I bet this came as quite a shock. I mean, it's not every day you learn you have a kid you didn't know about." Jess looked up at her with so much pain in his eyes that were glistening with tears, that she couldn't take it any longer. She wrapped her arms around him, and let him cry on her shoulder. She rubbed his back as he bawled as if everything he had been keeping inside found a way out of the cage that was his brain, and it was finally free. "Gosh, I am so sorry kid. I hate that you had to find out this way. I hate that I didn't try harder to convince Rory to tell you, but I can't say I didn't know where she was coming from. I was 16 when I had her, and I definitely did not want to tell Christopher. I was seconds away from running off and never returning home. Never telling anyone."

Jess pulled back. "Yes, but the difference is you did tell him."

Lorelai let out a harsh laugh. "Yeah, but he was my boyfriend. We were together constantly, and he never left me without saying goodbye like you did, and he still wasn't around for her. I'm not saying that you would have been the same," she said when she noticed Jess opened his mouth to say something, "but you have to see where she's coming from."

Jess scoffed. "I do. I understand that she had a hard choice weather or not to tell me because I'm not that reliable and she has a bad history with her dad, but at least she got a choice. I never did."

"Listen, I am always going to defend my daughter, no matter what she does, but I don't always agree with her decisions. Heck, I didn't agree with her decision to sleep with you in the first place, but she is a grown woman and her decisions are her decisions. She has been living with the guilt of keeping this from you for four years, and I know it has been eating her up. I don't excuse what she did, but I do understand why she did it."

Jess looked down at his hands again. They were quite warm after holding the practically scalding cup of coffee, but the warmth was more comforting than painful. "What do you think I should do?"

"Well, what do you want?"

"I want to be a part of my daughter's life. A big part," he answered honestly.

"Then go talk to Rory, when you feel you are calm enough not to make it into a screaming match, because that won't accomplish anything. I have a feeling that you two will be able to figure something out that pleases both of you."

Jess gave her his signature half smirk, before he thanked her and went back to his hotel. He checked his phone to see twelve missed calls from his publisher. He groaned before he sat back on his bed and called him.

"JESS," he screamed into the phone, "where the heck have you been? I have been trying to get a hold of you for hours."

"Sorry," Jess apologized, but didn't actually mean it. "I was out on a date."

"Well it doesn't matter. I just wanted to let you know that your flight to New York has been changed to tomorrow morning at six a.m. sharp, okay? So, if I were you, I would get some sleep," and with that he hung up. Jess groaned as he rubbed his hand over his face. He realized he was going to have to move his talk with Rory to today, and he was not happy about that fact. He grabbed his coat and ran out the door to Luke's.

Luke's eye widened as he saw his nephew storm into the diner. "Jess, hi."

"Where is Rory?" Luke didn't say anything at first, so Jess rolled his eyes and said, "Oh come on, I know you know where she is. I'm not here to yell at her, I just want to talk, okay? So, where is she?"

Luke sighed, "She's upstairs."

Jess thanked him then walked up to Luke's apartment smiling when he saw Lori run out and down the stairs, but not before saying a quick, "Hi, Mr. Jess."

He walked into the apartment and his smile fell, but his heart fluttered. She turned to him wearing a beautiful blue dress and her hair was curled. Her lips were a nice dark red, and Jess was having a hard time saying anything.

When she noticed him, her eyes widened as Luke's had and she said, "Jess hi, I didn't see you there."

"Hi, Um I was wondering if we could talk? You know, about Lori."

"I would love to talk, but can we do it tomorrow? I have to go somewhere right now."

"Don't you think you've pushed this off long enough?" Jess asked, his anger returning.

"Yeah, listen we can talk later tonight, I'm just so late right now. I have to go," she said grabbing her bag and walking towards the door of the apartment.

"No, what is so important, that we can't discuss our daughter?"

"I have to pick up my fiancé from the airport, and then we are going to dinner," she replied, then walked past him, his body frozen from the shock of what she had just said.


	8. Chapter 8

Fiancé. She has a fiancé. A fiancé who she was picking up from the airport for a date, and was probably going to take him home to where his daughter was. Heck, they probably act like a little family. He probably tucks her in, and makes her breakfast, and even drops her off at school. All the things that Jess should be doing. All the things Jess has a right to do. He didn't realize how long he was standing there, until he heard footsteps behind him and Luke asked, "Jess, what are you doing here?"

Jess wiped the tears that he didn't know were there off of his cheek before he turned to Luke and said, "Uh, I wanted to talk to Rory, but she had to pick up her fiancé."

Luke looked uncomfortable when he said the word fiancé. "What?"

"Well," Luke started, but then stopped himself.

"Well? Well, what?" Jess pushed.

"How are you?" Luke asked.

Jess scoffed. "How am I? I just found out that my girlfriend that I broke up with four years ago is getting married, why would that affect me?" he asked, trying to cover up the fact that it did affect him dearly.

"Come on Jess, you know what I mean. First you learn that Rory had your kid, and then you find out she has been seeing someone for a while. How do you feel about everything going on right now?"

Jess shook his head angrily, then said, "No. You don't get to ask me how I feel. Don't think I forgot that you wouldn't pick up a phone and call me, your own nephew, and tell me that I had a daughter."

"I was going to," Luke finally admitted.

Jess didn't say anything for a moment. For all he knew, Luke could be lying, but he looked genuine so eventually, he asked, "What?"

Instead of answering right away, Luke led Jess into the apartment and they both sat down at the table. Luke took a deep breath before he said, "I was going to tell you. I mean, not at first. All while Rory was pregnant I was good with her plan because I thought it would be better for you to not be tied down with a child at eighteen years old, but then the first time I saw her I changed my mind."

"Obviously not," Jess interrupted.

"No, I was going to tell you. I was away on a field trip with April the day that Lori was born so I didn't get to see her until the next day after they had brought her home. When I got there and she was put in my arms, my heart clenched once I got a good look at her sweet face. She looked just like you did when you were a baby, and it just made it so much more real for me, and of course this was right after seeing April and remember I never got to be in her life for the first 12 years, so why should I make you do the same? That weekend I went to visit you at your book printing place, but they told me you moved and got an apartment. So, I went there and opened your door since one of your old roommates gave me a key, and when I saw you in your apartment, I changed my mind. When I walked in I saw you sitting on a couch with about six or seven other people, and you were all hanging out, having fun, and then I saw something that I never got to see, the whole time you were growing up. Jess, I saw you smile, and not just a half-ass smirk, I saw a genuine, happy, kid smile and I realized that if I went into that room and told you that this year you had been living as a young carefree adult to make up for the eighteen crappy ones you lived as a kid had to stop because you now have to move back to a town you hate and raise a baby, I just couldn't do that to you. Jess, you are like a son to me, and I just want you to be happy. I know that it was a wrong decision, and if I could go back, I would, but I can't, and now I just hope that one day you can forgive me." He stood up and was about to walk out of the room, when Jess grabbed him by the arm and wrapped his arms around him, in a manly way of course.

"I don't know if I can do it," Jess said as he pulled away.

"Do what?"

"Be a father," he answered honestly. "I never had one, so maybe this kid would be better with Rory's fiancé being her dad, and not even telling her about me."

"Jess, you are an amazing person, who had a crappy life, but now you're doing well. You deserve to be in her life. You are her father, and I know you will be a damn good one."

"Well, it's kind of complicated right now," Jess said while walking over to the couch and sitting, "I just started a three-month book tour, and I'm supposed to leave tomorrow morning at six. Also, Rory is on a freakin' date, so when are we even supposed to talk about this?"

"Tonight, but before you do decide if you think continuing this book tour is the best thing to do right now," he answered before he pat him on the shoulder and left him to contemplate everything.

He was right. He should have an answer as to what he wanted to do before he talked to Rory. Did he really want to give up this opportunity? Jess wanted to drop everything and move to Stars Hollow or wherever Rory even lived. Heck, he didn't even know where they lived. If Rory's fiancé was being picked up from the airport, it probably means that he lives pretty far from here, and since they are getting married, she'll probably live there too. Or they could live here and he could have just flown out of town. There was so much he didn't even know, that made him even more angered.

"Hey, Mr. Jess," a little voice said from the doorway. Jess looked up to see Lori standing there with a confused look on her face. He must have been so deep in thought that he didn't even hear her come in.

Jess cleared his throat. "Hey, Lori."

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she went over to Luke's cabinet and started to dig through it.

"I was talking to your grandpa," he answered.

She pulled out two lollipops from the cabinet and asked, "Want one?"

"Uh, sure." She closed the cabinet with her foot, then held the lollipop out to him. They both unwrapped their lollipops, then stuck them in their mouths. Lori moaned as soon as she did so.

"Mmm, I love green apple. What is your favorite, Mr. Jess?" she asked, then pulled it out of her month, making a big plop sound.

"I like green apple too, and it's just Jess, you don't have to say Mr."

Lori raised her eyebrow, "But Momma said that I have to say Mister and Misses to adults."

"Yeah, but if we were friends, you could call me Jess, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, do you want to be friends?"

"Are you friends with my mommy?"

Jess debated how he should answer that, before he said, "Uh, sure. Yeah, we are."

She thought it over, then smiled and held out her hand, "Okay Jess, you can be my friend."

Jess laughed as he shook her hand, "Thank you."

She started to quiz him on his favorite superheroes when someone barged in.

"Hey Lori, do you have my wallet? I need to pay the-Jess, I didn't know you were still here."

Jess stood defensively and said, "Well, you said we were going to talk when you got back, so I thought I would just wait. _Your_ daughter is fun to chat with."

Rory noticed how he emphasized your, if her flinch was anything to go by. She was about to respond when a voice behind her asked, "Hey Ace, do you have your wallet? The driver is waiting." When the man walked in, Jess's fist clenched. Logan seemed just as surprised to see Jess standing there. "Jess, wow I didn't expect to see you. How long has it been, four years?"

Jess didn't say anything, so Rory said something instead. "I told you Jess was here when we talked on the phone last night."

"Yeah, but I didn't think he would stick around that long, I mean the guy is known for leaving."

"Logan-" Rory began, before Jess cut her off.

"Well at least I'm not known for cheating."

"JESS! Guys stop," she said then nudged to Lori who was looking nervous.

Logan leaned down to her height and said, "Hey, Slugger."

"Hey Mr. Logan," Lori said, running over and giving him a hug.

"Hey, why don't you come to the movie with us?" Logan asked.

"Really? I never get to go to movies with you," she said excitedly.

"Uh, Logan I don't really think that this an appropriate movie for her," Rory butted in.

Logan waved at her and said, "Come on, she won't even understand it," making Lori frown.

When Jess noticed her frown, he crouched beside her and said, "Why doesn't she just stay here with me and her grandpa. We can watch Spiderman," he suggested, making her start to jump up and down.

"Yeah, can I stay with Jess? He actually knows who Spiderman is."

"What are you talking about?" Logan asked offended, "I know who Spiderman is. He's Bruce Spark?"

"No," said Lori.

"That isn't even close," Jess said.

"How do you even answer that wrong?" Rory asked.

Logan looked hurt, but he then looked back at Lori and asked, "Don't you want to hang out with Mommy and me?"

She looked like she didn't know what to answer, so Jess added, "We can go for ice cream after."

"I'll take you to get smoothies," Logan interjected, sending a smirk to Jess.

Lori looked to be on the verge of tears as she saw them fighting, so she looked to her mom who took charge. "OKAY. Stop it, both of you. Logan, you and I are going to go to the movie, Lori, you are going to stay with Jess. Don't worry he's a lot of fun," she reassured her, making Jess smile, "Now, come on Logan, we've got to go pay the cab." She gave Lori a quick kiss on the head, then glanced back at Jess, before she pulled a defeated Logan out of the apartment.


	9. Chapter 9 I Don't know

Right after Rory left, Jess took Lori down to Taylor's Ice Cream Shop and let her order a huge chocolate sundae, which he was sure she wasn't going to be able to finish half of. Jess ordered her ice cream and got himself a vanilla milkshake as he tried to ignore the wide eyes he saw Taylor giving him from outside the window.

"So, I know you're four, I know you're smart, and I know you love superheroes. What do you like to do?"

"Well, I like to help Momma with her homework. She goes to a big kid school called Yale, and I read her questions," Lori said with a proud smirk. Jess's jaw dropped.

"Rory's going to Yale?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Well, not anymore. She's getting her smart paper this weekend."

"Smart paper? You mean like a diploma?"

She nodded again. "Yeah, she's getting a diploma for writing, and she's going to work at the New York Times. That's a Newspaper."

He couldn't believe all the things Lori was saying. Rory had still managed to go to her dream school while raising a daughter, graduating in five years, and is now going to work for the New York Times? He guessed if anyone was going to pull it off, of course it would be her.

"I also like ponies."

Jess smirked. "Have you ever ridden a pony?"

She gave him a pointed look. "Obviously."

"Wow, that's impressive. The only pony I ever rode was where you put a quarter in his side. I only got to ride it once, 'cause Liz wasn't one to have a lot of change, or money for that matter," he muttered under his breath.

"Who's Liz?" Lori asked with a slight slant of the head.

"My mother." Crap, his mother. Even though they didn't have the typical mother son relationship, it still made him nervous to think of telling her. Not that she would be upset. Heck, she would probably be thrilled. Every time Jess mentioned a girl, she would bombard him with question after question about her, and eventually end up talking about her future grandchildren. His brain hadn't processed this as a permanent thing quite yet.

He hadn't thought about how he was going to fit into her life. He luckily had his own apartment, but it only had one room. He didn't even have a television, and definitely no food for a preschooler. Preschool was another thing they would have to work out. Rory was moving to New York to work at the New York Times, and he lived all the way in Philadelphia. Of course, it could be worse, but it sounded like Rory and Jess had a lot to address, and he was sure they wouldn't be able to solve it all in one night.

Lori continued to talk throughout the first half of her ice cream, but as she was getting to the second half, she started to lose energy. Jess smirked as he watched her stuff bite after bite into her mouth while groaning loudly. Though he could tell she had a stomach ache, she reached back for another scoop, so Jess decided to cut her off. He took the spoon from her hand and got up to throw the ice cream away, when he noticed the large crowd that had gathered outside the window, staring at them. Jess didn't want Lori to see him go off, so he took a deep breath to calm himself before giving them a quick death glare, making the crowd immediately disperse.

He then turned back to his daughter, who was leaning her head on her arm as she fought sleep. "You ready to go watch some Spiderman?" he asked.

She shot up, the exhaustion rolling off her and being replaced with excitement. He let her jump on his back, then he carried her back to Luke's. Once they arrived in the apartment over Luke's, he dropped her on the bed that he assumed was April's and told her to wait while he started the movie. She jumped on the bed anxiously while he looked around for the movie, but by time he found it, put it in the player, and had turned back to her, she was fast asleep.

He chuckled softly as he flipped the television off and walked over to bed, kneeling beside it. He gently brushed his hand through her hair as he tried to slow his racing horse of a heart. It was now just starting to become real for him. He was a father to a beautiful brown eyed, brunette girl with dimples covering her cheeks, and a brain twice as large as his. He was going to have to work more hours at the publishing company, and he wasn't going to be able to travel as much. He didn't know how he would be able to pay for a two-bedroom apartment and all the things she would need, such as a bed and toys. He also wasn't experienced in the least with children, especially not ones this age.

He was shocked the night had gone off without a hitch. Time seemed to pass quickly as he let his mind wander, and soon it was already midnight. He didn't come back to reality until he heard the jingle of keys, and two people whispering back and forth as the woman, Rory he assumed, shushed Logan. When they got in, Logan placed the two bags he was holding on the floor, and Rory walked over to Lori. She smiled when she noticed that she was passed out on the bed.

"Wow, good job. Luke can never get her to sleep," she praised Jess. He stood from where he had been kneeling, just noticing the pain shooting through his knees as he did so and looked at Lori.

"She was pretty bouncy the whole time we were eating ice cream, so I'm pretty sure she ate herself into a sugar coma." She pushed her hair to the side as she laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like something she would do." Awkwardness filled the apartment when Logan walked over to Lori and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

The three adults exchanged glances before Logan said, "So, are we gonna talk or-"

"This doesn't concern you," Jess said, cutting him off.

"You're damn right it concerns me!"

"Not right now Logan," Rory pleaded, exhaustion glazing her words.

"Jess and I are going to discuss this, and you are going to go to my mother's, where I will meet you shortly." Jess tried to hide his smirk as Logan crossed his arms.

"Do you want me to take the munchkin?" Rory shook her head.

"I've got her." She gave him a quick kiss. "I love you." It was obvious to everyone that Logan did not want to go, but one look from Rory, and he did so without another word. Rory gestured for Jess to follow her to the table, where they both sat in silence, waiting for the other to speak.

"Jess I-"

"Rory listen-" They both spoke at the same time, then stopped and tried to communicate with their eyes who should go first.

"I am only here for the weekend," Rory explained.

"Yeah, I heard. Congratulations," he told her sincerely.

Her cheeks reddened slightly. "Thanks."

"Yeah, I'm only visiting too, I'm on a book tour and I have to leave in," he checked his watch, "a little over five hours." Rory looked impressed. "Wow, a book tour! Looks like you could use a congratulations as well."

Jess huffed. "It's not that big of a deal."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Of course, you would say that. You haven't changed at all, have you," she joked.

Jess sat up defensively. "I have too."

Rory held up her hands trying to calm him down. "Woah, I didn't mean it like that, sorry."

Jess shrugged back into his seat. "It's okay." More time and awkwardness passed. Jess cleared his throat before he said, "So, what do you think we should do?"

Rory groaned as she laid her head down on the table. "I don't know."

"Yeah, me neither."

Rory stood up and started to pace as she flailed her arms around. "Well then, how are we going to make this work Jess? We are supposed to be the parents in this situation, yet we don't have any of the answers."

"Maybe we need to talk to some adults?" he suggested, before Rory shot her glare at him. "I mean adultier adults. Like maybe your mom and Luke."

Rory collapsed back into her chair. "That's actually not a bad idea."

"Don't sound so surprised," he said offended.

"No Jess, I mean-ugh, I just can't say anything right tonight." She put her head in her hands and rubbed her face, before looking up again.

"How are we going to do this?" she said as she looked over at their sleeping daughter. Jess followed her gaze and rested his eyes on his daughter as well.

"I don't Know."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hey guys, I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that though the title says 4 years later, it's more like 4 years and 10 months later. Also, I know I totally screwed up the timeline and Rory graduated Yale three years after Jess confessed his love, so I changed it. Now she graduated in five years, instead of four. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

"He held her in his arms and he said, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my Mommymother you'll be. The End." Lorelai closed the book and threw it on the floor before gathering her son in her arms and giving him a loving hug.

"Again momma, again," Jonas pleaded.

Lorelai shook her head. "Buddy, we have already read seven books. You are just like your sister. I always knew she got her smarts from me." Lorelai gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, I love you baby."

Luke, who had been sitting in a rocking chair across the room, stood and walked over to them. "Goodnight, Jonas," he said, then gave his only son a kiss on the forehead and mussed his hair.

"Night, night Ddaddy," Jonas said, then laid down in his Lightning McQueen bed on his Star Wars themed sheets and closed his eyes. Lorelai turned on Jonas's nightlight, then both the parents walked out of the room. They walked into the living room like they did every night after tucking Jonas in, but this night they sat in silence staring at a blank screen.

"Well," Lorelai said after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm," Luke said, as if he were agreeing with her.

She leans in closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder. "Do you think we should have done more to try to get her to tell him? Should we have made her?"

"Hey, you can't make that girl do anything she doesn't want to," Luke reminded her.

"True, I just wish he didn't find out this way. The whole time she was pregnant I thought that as soon as Lori was born she would tell him. Then after her first birthday she brought up how she felt guilty that Jess wasn't there, but she never brought it up again."

Luke put his arm around her shoulder and rubbed ithis gently. "I just can't believe I didn't tell him. After all I went through with April. I mean I missed so many firsts and then the same thing happened to him. I should have gone and told him and left him to decide what to do about it."

Lorelai rubbed his shoulder. "Listen, we can beat ourselves up about what we should have done, or we can help them deal with what we can control. The future. God knows they'rere gonna need our help."

Luke shook his head, "No, those are two hard-headed kids. They will not ask for help unless we force it on um."

Lorelai disagreed. "I know Rory. She is probably freaking out and is going to text me in three two." On the one, a phone buzzed, but it wasn't Lorelai's. Luke reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

He stared at the screen for a moment, before asking, "What happened?"

"It looks like you got a text," Lorelai answered like it was obvious.

"Who the hell'd be texting me?" he asked gruffly.

"You know there's a way to check it," she said sarcastically. He raised his eyebrow, so with a huff she took the phone out of his hand and read the text. "Iit's from Jess. All he said was, 'Need help. Bring Lorelai.' Wow, he is such a mini you." Luke grabbed the phone out of her hand. "Well, I guess you should go. I'll stay here with Jonas."

"No, you should. You're much better at dealing with this kind of thing. I'd just make it worse."

"But he texted you." The two adults thought it over for a second, before jumping up, grabbing Jonas, and running out the door.

"Did he respond back?" Rory asked nervously. Jess, who was leaning against the kitchen counter while watching Lori sleep, shook his head.

"No. He's probably trying to figure out how to send a message back." Rory nodded, then she let out a loud yawn. "You tired?"

She leaned against the table as she fought to keep her eyes opened. "Maybe just a little bit. It's been a long weekend."

"Tell me about it," Jess muttered as he walked over to the table and sat across from her. They sat in silence for a while longer, waiting for Luke to text him back, when Jess asked, "Did you think I wouldn't be a good dad?"

Rory, who was seconds away from falling asleep, shot up and with wide questioning eyes, and looked at Jess. "What?"

"Did you not tell me, because you thought I wouldn't be a good dad?"

"No, Jess I told you I didn't want to ruin your life. I just wanted you to be able to be free and happy and not tied down in a place like Stars Hollow for the rest of your life."

"But you got out. You started going to Yale. You met a better guy who you play house with. You did it all and you didn't want me messing up your perfect life." Rory's blood started to boil as she grabbed Jess's arm and pulled him out of the room.

Once they were in the hallway with the doors closed, .

sShe grabbed him by the face and said, "Look at me. You left. You. Not me, you. I gave myself to you, because I loved you, and you left. I thought that we could finally be happy again. So, when I woke up to find myself alone, a part of me broke. I felt so lost. I never thought that you could have done something to me like that. I was so hurt and then I found I was pregnant with your baby. I was only eighteen and you were the boy who stole my heart and ran with it. So, you're going to stand there and be mad at me for not telling you about our daughter when I knew what it was like to be left and I didn't want the same for her!"

With that, Rory stormed back into the room and closed the door, leaving a stunned Jess standing alone in the hallway. He continued to stand there, his jaw practically on the floor and his eyes glued to the wall, until Luke and Lorelai came storming in.

"What happened? Why are you standing out here?" Luke asked, finally getting Jess to look up.

"Uhh, we had a disagreement."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you two?" She handed a sleeping Jonas to Luke. "Here take him. You," she said pointing at Jess, "come with me." She started to walk away and when he didn't follow, she grabbed his leather jacket covered arm and pulled him into the room.

Rory was laying down on the bed behind Lori. Her tears had stained her face and her hands shook as theyit laid on Lori's shoulder, her thumb gently brushing against the fabric of her shirt. Once Rory noticed her mother standing with an apprehensive Jess,s. Lorelai pointed her finger at Rory and then waved her to them. Slowly, without moving the bed too much, she got up and made her way over. The three of them went into the hallway.

"Go take him inside and lay him on the bed, then come down stairs and we can all have an overdue family chat," Lorelai told Luke. He disappeared into the room, then once he returned they all walked down the stairs to the dinener. Lorelai, Jess, and Rory all walked over to one of the tables while Luke started a pot of coffee.

"Okay, who wants to start?" Lorelai asked, making both young adults practically jump out of their seats and open their mouths. "Order in the court, please. Alright, how about this?. Why don't you start, Jess?"

"Seriously?" Rory asked annoyed as Jess gave her his signature smirk.

"Yes, Rory," Lorelai turned to him. "What do you want out of this talk?"

"I want to be able to be around my daughter, a lot. I want her to know I'm her father," he answered truthfully.

"Okay, that sounds fair. Rory, do you have anything to add?"

Rory huffed before sinking future in her chair, "No."

"Alright then, um… LUKE COFFEE!" Luke ran across the room with a cup of coffee. "Thanks." She took a long sip and it was as though a switch was flipped. "Okay, well then we have a lot to work out tonight. First, Jess you live in Philadelphia and Rory, you're moving to New York in a few weeks. That's what? Two hours away from each other?" They both nodded. "Well, I'm sure we can find a way to split Lori between the two of you."

"Don't forget, Lori is starting a new Preschool in the fall," Rory added.

"Yet another decision I was not a part of," Jess muttered.

"Shut up!" They both looked up at her with wide eyes. "Seriously, guys I know this is a big deal and yes Rory should have told you, and yes, Jess you shouldn't have left her again, but come on. Let's get pastsed this, so that we can finally make some progress, because no matter how much you argue, neither of you can change the past, right?"

Rory immediately nodded. Jess took a moment but agreed as well.

"Okay, so yes Lori will be attending preschool in the fall, but since it's just May, we can discuss that later. Now I want to talk about now." Jess raised his hand. "This isn't school Jess. Just say what you want to say."

"Before we figure out any time sharing or whatever, you should know that I just started a six-week book tour. I won't be home until after."

Rory let out a huff and looked at the ceiling, "Of course, leaving again right when your daughter needs you."

"She apparently hasn't needed me for the past fours years. Why does she need me now?"

"Stop acting like children. You have a child, so you have to be the adults. It's only six weeks, right? By time you get back it would be June 25th?"

"27th," Jess corrected.

"Okay, why don't you go on your book tour while you get moved into your new apartment in New York. Then when you're done Jess, meet up with Rory and you two will hopefully have matured a few years."

"Okay," Jess agreed, "just one thing. I want to tell her I'm her father before I leave."

"No," Rory denied.

"Yes," he fought back.

"No, you can't tell her until you prove that you'll be around for her."

"I will be."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I'm sorry, you don't get to make that decision. I am her father and she deserves to know. I have just as much of a right to her as you do, so I'm telling Lori I'm her father."

"WHAT?" they all heard someone behind them scream, making them turn. Standing in the door was Lori and Jonas, who had just heard everything.


End file.
